First of May.


Whenever a friend tells me how much he/she cried reading a particular book, I always reply saying that I've never cried reading a book, because I am more of a 'visually-stimulated' person. "Words just don't do it for me", I would remark, at the same time feeling somewhat amused at this strange trait of mine. I can bawl my eyes out at movies, TV shows, cartoons -- but never at written tragedies or touching stories.

I guess I am wrong, after all.

Today, more than seven months after receiving the above book as a birthday present from a close friend, I declare John Grogan's "Marley and Me" the first book that made me cry. I started reading the book in January/February, got busy during the semester so I put it down for awhile, continued reading again during the June-July vacation, and finally finished it on the tram a couple of hours ago. I'd always known that it would have a sad ending (most books about pets always end with their death), but I didn't expect myself to be this moved by a true story about a dog and the family he'd shared 13 years of his life with... a dog I'd never met, and the family I never personally knew. The author never put Marley on a pedestal; the book was an honest, unpretentious account of what having destructive Marley in the house was like - a terrible experience, but at times also very enriching and fulfilling.

It was very embarrassing because I was reading it on public transport, and when I got to the part where Marley the dog had to be put to sleep, I felt a slight sniffle in my nose and my eyes well up with tears. I managed a couple of sniffs, continued reading, felt even sadder, then desperately tried to stop myself from losing it completely as the author recalled memories of his pet, and how much he missed having him around. Fortunately I soon arrived at my stop, and it was also then that it was time to read the acknowledgements page *relieved sigh*.

Recommending this book to everyone young and old, especially if you love animals (and of course, dogs).

What I really wanted to say was how this animal had touched our souls and taught us some of the most important lessons of our lives. "A person can learn a lot from a dog, even a loopy one like ours," I wrote. "Marley taught me about living each day with unbridled exuberance and joy, about seizing the moment and following your heart. He taught me to appreciate the simple things -- a walk in the woods, a fresh snowfall, a nap in a shaft of winter sunlight. And as he grew old and achy, he taught me about optimism in the face of adversity. Mostly, he taught me about friendship and selflessness and, above all else, unwavering loyalty."

John Grogan -"Marley And Me", pp. 279.